Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is not DLC, you don’t need to have the original Far Cry 3 game to play this iteration. It’s not like anything you’ve seen before, unless that is, you’ve grown up in the 80’s watching films like the Terminator, Commando and Mad Max 2.

It’s a game that thinks it was made in the 80’s set in the future, 2007 to be exact. Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear war and new paths for peace must be found. A U.S. cyborg army may have found a solution: a powerful bioweapon on a distant island. A Mark IV Cyber Commando, Sergeant Rex Power Colt has been sent over to gather information and figure out what the hell is going on.

Gameplay:
A first person shooter which doesn’t take itself too seriously and has a surprisingly large amount of wit and charm. This game oozes fun, from the missions to the comments said by your character. The controls are just like Far Cry 3 and most others in the genre, if you have any trouble there is an extensive guide in the pause menu, which reminds me. I even found the menu and it’s descriptions funny.

Being a Cyber Commando means you can do a few more things in this game, like swim underwater indefinitely or even fall from any height without being hurt, which means you can sit back and enjoy the world a little more with worrying about the little things, like dying.

As you play the game you earn XP which at certain points, levels up your character. You can also gain better attachments for your weapons by collecting particular items or killing certain things. With these things you begin to feel like a badass, an unstoppable killing machine. But Ubisoft doesn’t make this make too easy, in fact it’s very balanced, keeping the game constantly fun.

Like FC3 I found myself ‘Joshing’ this game, several times I had to stop myself from going off mission to grab that collectable or take out a squad of enemies on patrol. With a large map to explore and lots of collectables there is definitely a lot squeezed into this game.

Visuals:
When the game loads up it looks like a VHS tape, complete with the tracking slider. It runs off the same engine as Far Cry 3 and uses a lot of the same assets, which isn’t a bad thing in the slightest. All of the weapons and look to the game are is if it were designed on an 80’s film stage, it all adds to the feeling of nostalgia and looks great. Many little touches have been added to this, from the animations for when your healing yourself to the robotic arms welding things in a lab. They all add to the atmosphere.

Animals in the game are pulled straight out of FC3 but as it’s set after a nuclear war, they’re all mutated, the worst of which are the blood dragons. A sight which I’ll let you discover for yourself. A very satisfying experience is lining up a headshot, pulling the trigger and watching the devastating results, it never gets old.

As in FC3 you can approach missions and objectives in different ways, I found guns blazing to be a lot more enjoyable this time round. But sneaking around with the silent crossbow is still a very rewarding experience.

Apparently the story was even written on a BBC Micro just to add that layer of authenticity , now that’s what I call old school. Yes, this game has lots of swearing and tons of explosions. Yes, you’ll be killing mutants and cyborgs with insane weaponry. Yes, it’s silly and extreme in a good way. But above all else you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Audio:
One of the few soundtracks I turned up. fits perfectly in the game and compliments the action well. Created by Australian group Power Glove from Melbourne. Surprisingly this is their first videogame project and I’m sure it won’t be their last. It is an old-school soundtrack, with one iconic track for each mission making them feel a little more unique.

The voice work is brilliant and often funny. Rex Colt’s voice is by Michael Biehn who you may remember from The Terminator, Aliens or The Abyss. Even the computerised P.A. system in the enemy bunkers is amusing. All of this combined makes this game a treat to the ears.

My only issue is that this hasn’t got a full audio track as you’d find in a full disc based game so you may hear some things repeat but I didn’t care.

Online/Multiplayer:
This game is single player only, and I’m glad they didn’t throw in some tacked on online play which would have probably lessened the final score.

Conclusion:
You may think that this game would lose a lot of its enjoyment if you’re a younger gamer who missed out on the 80’s but I can assure you it’s a fun and enjoyable game regardless of the excellent witty nostalgic references. With Far Cry 3 and now Blood Dragon, I think Ubisoft have found an almost perfect formula, and they’re sticking with it.

This game is a joy to play and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. I highly recommend it and can’t wait to see what comes next. This is one of the few games that really puts the fun back into the genre and reminds me why I love gaming. So sit back and enjoy the only game where Blood Dragons shoot laser beams from their frickin’ eyes!